MoWillems.com

Mo Willems, who used to be a writer and animator for Sesame Street, is one of our school's favorite authors. Writing primarily for primary children, Mo has won the Caldecott Honor for Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity. MoWillems.com contains information about his characters, new books, and computer games. Mo also has his own blog and the Pigeon character "Tweets."

Math Playground

If you are looking to practice math skills at home, www.mathplayground.com is an excellent site for elementary students in grades 1-6. The site includes math videos, word problems, logic games, and general skill practice. Activities are aligned with the Common Core Curriculum Standards. The site is so popular, that many students like to use it at home or during free time at school.

Dance Mat Typing

Now that cursive writing has been removed from the state standards, more emphasis is being placed on children learning keyboarding. There are many schools of thought on this practice. Some educators believe that students need direct instruction in keyboarding, while others believe that it should be embedded in classroom writing activities. As a technology teacher, I believe that students need a little bit of both methods, as long as practice activities are fun. I have included a link to a BBC website called Dance Mat Typing. Students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade seem to enjoy it!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/

JanBrett.com

The month of December is very unfair to teachers. While the rest of the world can sometimes get away with stretching the lunch hour a few minutes longer, or gossiping around the water cooler for a few extra minutes in the morning, we need to put on our stern faces and try to keep a lid on the excitement that both children and teachers are feeling this time of year. As a teacher, my method of containing this excitement is to explore Jan Brett's website with younger children,  Even though some of her activities are Christmas specific, the website is also appropriate for those children not celebrating the holiday. There are videos, games, and card making activities, and it is a great tie-in to our library lessons as well.

Voice Thread

 https://ed.voicethread.com/is a digital storytelling website that allows you to create and narrate a story by  using images, videos, and documents. Before creating a video, there is a "Browse" tab for sample creations and tutorials. Educators can create a free account for classroom use, but the website is also a valuable tool for anyone wishing to create a personal video, or even a vacation slide show. We are going to be using the site in social studies this month to create colonial America videos.

Caldwell College Technology Conference

On October 26, I had the privilege of attending the first annual Caldwell College Technology Conference. At the conference, we were first introduced to the presenter's "Top Ten Technology Sites." The first site, Symbaloo.com, is a great Web 2.0 tool which allows you to access bookmarks from any computer. Freerice.com was also interesting because for every correct answer, 10 grains of rice are donated to a free world country. We also were able to learn about two other Web 2.0 tools, Glogster and Voice Thread. Voice Thread is a presentation program that I am planning to use with my fifth grade classes in social studies next month.

Hurricane Sandy

Most of the schools in coastal New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York have been closed this week due to the historic Hurricane Sandy. Much of the Jersey shore, as well as Long Island and Staten Island were destroyed from the powerful winds and storm surge.
Many lives have been lost, people have been left homeless, and our beloved New Jersey beaches have suffered severe erosion. Hopefully our schools will open next weeks,so students can return to a normal routine.